43

JASPER FRANCIS CROPSEY

American, 1823-1900

A Bend in the River, 1892

oil on canvas
signed and dated lower center "J.F. Cropsey 1892"
12 1/2 x 20 1/2 inches

  • Provenance: T. A. Wilmurt & Son, New York; George T. Lamason; Sotheby Parke-Bernet,
    New York, New York, April 21, 1977, lot 31; Sotheby's, New York, New York, December 1, 1994, lot 138; Sotheby's, New York, New York, November 30, 2000, lot 143; Questroyal Fine Art, New York,
    New York; Private Collection; Private Collection, Georgia
  • Exhibited: New York, New York, National Academy of Design, 1892, no. 474.
  • Literature: Kenneth Maddox and Anthony Speiser, "Jasper F. Cropsey: Catalogue Raisonné",
    Volume 3, 1885–1900 (Hastings-on-Hudson, New York: The Newington-Cropsey Foundation,
    2019), 94, no. 2065.

    Framed dimensions: 22 x 30 x 3 inches

    Jasper Cropsey trained as an architect, a profession which he exercised at various times throughout his life, but he turned to painting full-time in 1843. He soon became one of the leading landscape painters of the Hudson River School and was widely regarded as "America's painter of autumn."

    Following his marriage to Maria Cooley in 1847, Cropsey and his wife traveled to Europe on a Grand Tour until 1849. In Rome, Cropsey moved into the studio formerly occupied by Thomas Cole, an artist who influenced him greatly from the start of his career. On his return to America, he opened a studio in New York and traveled throughout New England to paint.

    Cropsey returned once again to Europe and lived in England from 1856 to 1863. During this time, he enjoyed the same success he had in America and in 1862 completed one of the most ambitious landscapes of his career, Autumn on the Hudson River, now in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

    On his return to America in 1863, Cropsey's paintings illustrated his admiration for the luminist aesthetic inspired by the natural splendor around him. That same year, he built a Victorian-style residence named "Aladdin" next to Greenwood Lake, situated in a 45-acre property near Warwick, New York. This became the location and inspiration for many of his paintings in the 1860s, which illustrate his masterful fluency in depicting the Hudson River Valley in all its natural splendor.

    The Hudson River Valley, and the artist's later retirement to Hastings-on-Hudson, where he began painting the Palisades and the rocky outcroppings on the Hudson's West Bank, were considered by the artist to be "one of the finest passages of scenery of the river." Autumn, with its rich colors, was a favored season among many 19th century American landscape painters. Cropsey specialized in painting the fall for half a century, and devoted himself almost exclusively to that theme in his later career. The present lot, A Bend in the River, is likely a scene from this period depicting the Hudson River in autumn.

    Tags: oil painting, listed artist, fall scene, Hudson River School, 19th century, Luminist, Luminism, landscape
  • Condition: in overall very good condition; wax lined canvas; scattered very minor areas of restoration apparent under UV

    We are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Shannon’s is merely a subjective qualified opinion. Frames on all paintings are sold "As Is". Frames may need some conservation. 
    NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD “AS IS” IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE. 

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